Off the roads! Jersey City declares city state of emergency

Jersey City has declared a state of emergency and has ordered that all non-essential vehicles stay off the streets because of the winter storm that is walloping the city and Hudson County.

The storm has dumped up to 11 inches on parts of Hudson County and is expected to continue through the day as rain, sleet and then snow again before tapering off tonight.

Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said that tonight's garbage pickup and recycling has been canceled. City offices are closed today.

Yesterday Gov. Christopher Christie declared a state of emergency for the state for today.

The Jersey City announcement comes after there have been road closures, car accidents and at least one roof collapse across the county this morning.

In Jersey City, Newark Avenue from Kennedy Boulevard to the Charlotte Circle has been closed because of treacherous conditions, according to a police radio transmission.

As of 1:27 p.m., both southbound lanes of Kennedy Boulevard from Danforth Avenue to the Bayonne border has been closed, according to police. Only one northbound lane of Kennedy Boulevard along the same route remains open, according to police.

At 10:05 a.m., a Jersey City police car found itself stuck in the snow an inch from a parked car and called for help to avoid an accident, according to another police radio transmission.

In Bayonne, part of the roof of a warehouse at 50 Pulaski St. collapsed at around 11 a.m. as a result of the heavy snow, according to Bayonne fire chief Gregory Rogers.

No injuries were reported as a result of the roof collapse, Rogers said.

At around the same time in North Bergen, police discovered a silver minivan abandoned in the middle of Columbia Avenue, according to a police radio transmission.